The most common signs of lung cancer include shortness of breath and a cough that doesn’t go away. Additional symptoms include:
- Ongoing chest discomfort or pain
- Wheezing
- Hoarseness
- Trouble swallowing
- Blood in mucus coughed up from the lungs
- Feeling very tired
- Swelling in the face and/or veins in the neck
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss for no known reason
The best way to avoid lung cancer is not to smoke. Smoking is a major risk factor for all forms of lung cancer – especially non-small cell lung cancer. Other lifestyle factors can increase the likelihood of developing lung cancer, including:
- Being exposed to secondhand smoke
- Living where there is air pollution
- Having a family history of lung cancer
- Being infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Being exposed to radiation (including radiation therapy to the breast or chest, imaging tests such as CT scans and radon in the home or workplace)
- Being exposed to asbestos, arsenic, chromium, beryllium, nickel, soot or tar in the workplace
As with most types of cancer, the chances of developing lung cancer increases as you get older.
For healthy adults, it is not common to screen for lung cancer. If you show signs of lung cancer, talk to your primary care provider. They can discuss your symptoms and refer you to a specialist for further evaluation, as needed.
If lung cancer is suspected, there are a variety of procedures available to test your lungs. The results of these tests can help a doctor determine the prognosis and guide treatment. These tests may include:
- Low dose CT scan: Often the first step in diagnosing lung cancer at an early stage, this is a series of detailed pictures of the inside of the chest, taken from different angles
- Chest x-ray: An x-ray of the organs and bones inside the chest
- Biopsy: The removal of cells or tissues to check for signs of cancer
- Laboratory tests: Testing samples of tissue, blood, urine or other substances of the body
- Sputum cytology: A test to look at the sputum, or mucus, produced when coughing
- Thoracentesis: The removal of fluid from the space between the lining of the chest and the lung
Screening Options for High-Risk Older Adults
In many cases, lung cancer symptoms don’t show right away. This means that it can go undetected until it’s reached a late stage and is less easily cured.
However, studies show that lung cancer screening reduces the risk of dying of lung cancer. This is why screening for cancer can be beneficial for people who are at a high risk for developing lung cancer yet are otherwise in good health. This includes:
- People over age 50 who are current or former heavy smokers
- People who have a smoking history of ‘20 pack years’ or longer: What is a pack year? Multiply the number of packs smoked per day by the number of years you have smoked. For example, one pack a day for 20 years, 2 packs a day for 10 years, or a half pack a day for 40 years.
- People who once smoked heavily, but no longer smoke
Low Dose CT Scans
A biopsy of lung cells is needed to make the official lung cancer diagnosis. However, one of the early screening options available is a low-dose CT scan (LDCT) of the lungs.
This type of screening comes with certain risks including false-positive results and radiation exposure. This is one of the reasons that lung cancer screening is used only for certain people who meet specific criteria, including the three bullet points listed above.
In general, people who qualify for lung cancer screening should continue to get a scan once per year until they reach a point where they are unlikely to benefit from screening (i.e. another serious health condition has occurred or they are too frail to undergo lung cancer treatment).
A primary care provider will need to order a LDCT scan for qualifying patients.
Abnormal Findings from LDCT
Once scans are evaluated by a radiologist, they will call to discuss the findings. Sometimes, the screening will find abnormalities within the lungs. Many of these abnormalities are not cancer, but more testing will need to be done to be sure.
Screening at Bronson
If you think lung cancer screening could be right for you, talk to your primary care provider. They will ask you a series of qualifying questions. Don't have a primary care provider? Find one and schedule your first appointment now. If you meet all criteria and qualifications, you will be given an order for a LDCT scan – available at several convenient locations across Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren Counties.
LDCT scans for approved lung cancer screening is typically covered by insurance. However, every plan is different, so be sure to talk with your insurance company to discuss your policy and copay.
Certain factors may affect a person’s chance of recovery and treatment options. Treatment options depend on:
- A person’s general health
- Whether there are signs and symptoms such as coughing or trouble breathing
- The size of the tumor and whether it is only in the lung or has spread to other organs
- The type of lung cancer
- Whether the cancer has caused any genetic mutations within the body
There are many different treatment options for lung cancer. Some treatments that may be suggested include:
- Surgery to remove the cancer and any nearby tissue that may have been affected by the cancer.
- Radiation therapy to kill or shrink cancer cells. At Bronson, patients undergoing this type of therapy will be treated using the TrueBeam Linear Accelerator’s HyperArc technology. This reduces radiation treatment times, reduces patient movement during treatment and improves tumor targeting. Learn how it works.
- Chemotherapy places medication within the body to kill cancerous cells. This is often completed after surgery and/or radiation.
- Immunotherapy to boost the immune system so that it can better fight the cancer.
- Photodynamic therapy (PDT) kills cancer cells by using a combination of a light sensitizing drug and a very bright light.
- Cryosurgery to surgically remove tumors and abnormal tissues using extreme cold temperatures.
- Electrocautery to destroy cancer cells using heat from an electric current.
- Endoscopic stent placement to open the narrowed areas of an airway in a person’s trachea or bronchi.
Clinical trials are also very common for lung cancer treatment. The Bronson Cancer Center is a member of the Cancer Research Consortium of West Michigan, giving patients access to cutting edge research and treatment options that are not yet widely available.
